All posts by Mike Presley

The San Francisco 49ers were a goal line stand away from winning their sixth Super Bowl back in 2012. Jim Harbaugh took the team to the Super Bowl in only his second season as Head Coach. Now in 2015 the 49ers are looking at rebuilding. While you can look at the positives of signing Torrey Smith to replace Michael Crabtree, the negatives are just through the roof. It seems as if Jed York was blessed with the gift of Jim Harbaugh, and when he didn’t want it, he fired him. I’m sorry, I meant “mutually parted ways” with Harbaugh. Continue reading 49ers: The Curse of Jim Harbaugh?→

It seems like it was yesterday the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, yet here we are days away from Free Agency. NFL Free Agency, one of the big reasons why the NFL has so much parity. Even with the cap increase of ten million from last season, teams are struggling to get under the cap by the new league year.

Each year players are let go and new players are signed, as teams look to fill a void before the start of the draft. Though, buyer beware as a player may not be who you think your getting. You see it every year where teams over pay to lure free agents, but also they just simply fall for the hype of some players.

Next week will be no different as I present to you the top five overrated free agents of 2015.

5. Avoid Ravens Free Agents:

There is one constant every March, the Baltimore Ravens have key free agents that 31 other teams drool over. They sign those players thinking they are getting a great player and then….. bust. Everyone in the media thinks if the Ravens will suffer without those players, it happens every March. Yet, through it all the great Wizard of Oz(General Manager Ozzie Newsome) has had the Ravens playoff contenders every year.

When the Ravens let Michael Oher walk and go to Tennessee, nobody believed they would let Ricky Wagner start at right tackle, he’s just a fifth round pick. The Ravens knew what they had in Wagner and he proved it last year replacing Oher as a very solid starter. Couple in the fact Oher just got released from the Titans, it seems the Ravens the right move. Paul Kruger and Dan Ellerbe were also very over hyped and the Browns and Dolphins paid for it. So if you think Ozzie Newsome is afraid to let Torrey Smith, Justin Forsett and Pernell McPhee walk, think again.

4. Mark Sanchez, Quarterback, Eagles:

Let’s begin with how his tenure in NY ended. A butt fumble, on Thursday Night Football in which he has become more known for. He signed with the Eagles, Nick Foles got hurt and all of a sudden he looks like a capable quarterback. Yeah, not buying it for one second.

The only reason Sanchez had success in Philadelphia was because of Chip Kelly’s offensive system. Chip Kelly makes Sanchez look better than he actually is. If a team needing a QB sees it as anything else, they are throwing away money.

3. Jerry Hughes, Defensive End, Bills:

Besides our number one player on this list, I have to wonder how much Hughes will stop caring if he gets paid big bucks. He was a first round bust in Indianapolis before finding himself in Buffalo. I just wonder if some team will pay him a boat load of money, and then he reverts back to who he was in Indianapolis, and not the player he was in Buffalo.

2. Malcolm Smith, LB, Seahawks:

Much like Mark Sanchez, Smith benefited from the Seahawks defensive system. He maybe a Super Bowl MVP but a vastly overrated one at that. Smith outside of Seattle is something I would worry about if I were a GM. Was he actually a good player or did he benefit from the other great talent around him? Maybe he’ll show he wasn’t a fluke Super Bowl MVP, but if he lands with his former coordinators in Atlanta or Jacksonville, there’s a chance he won’t be cut a couple years from now.

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Lions:

If you thought Ndamukong Suh wouldn’t be the number one overrated free agent of 2015, then I’m afraid you don’t remember the Albert Haynesworth debacle of 2009. He was the prized free agent that offseason and signed a seven year, $100M contract and was let go after the 2010 season.

Suh is line for a very similar contract this offseason. Rumors have circulated about the Raiders, Jaguars and now the Miami Dolphins who are the supposed front runners offering him a huge contract. If that does happen, a lot of questions will be asked. Is Suh a product of the Lions defensive scheme? Will he slack off the way Haynesworth did after he gets his money? Can he stay out of trouble with the league office? For the Lions, they are better off re-signing Nick Fairley, drafting another defensive tackle in the first round and settling for the third round compensatory pick in 2016.

Mike Presley is a NFL Writer for The Penalty Flag. Mike covers NASCAR for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Mike can be contacted on Twitter @mikepresley64

The first round of the 2014 NFL Draft is now in the books and the Cleveland Browns have made Johnny Manziel their guy. Manziel was linked to the Browns at four but the Bills traded up to four getting Sammy Watkins.

The Browns knew they could get Manziel later so after moving up one spot to eight after trading down to nine, the Browns drafted Oklahoma St. Cornerback Justin Gilbert. So they passed on him at 8 but in predictable fashion made another trade to move up from 26 to their famous number twenty-two pick.

Let’s remind you, they selected Brady Quinn and Brandon Weeden at 22 in 2007 and 2012 respectively. They then moved up to get Johnny Manziel and boy is the third time the charm for the Browns.

Johnny Manziel is a game changer, and remember what they did with Hoyer last season. Now you put Manziel, who is more talented than Hoyer under center and the Browns can compete not just in the AFC North, but in the AFC playoff picture.

The rest of the North and the AFC in general should be thankful they traded Sammy Watkins’ rights to Buffalo. Manziel already had Josh Gordon at his disposal, if they would have gotten Watkins and Manziel, I would love their draft even more.

The Cleveland Browns under General Manager Ray Farmer may have finally got the pieces in place to not only stabilize the team but make them competitive for years to come. Their defense is fine, especially with the addition of Justin Gilbert. This may be the most complete team the Browns have put together since they returned in 1999.

Look out NFL, this isn’t the easy free win Cleveland Browns you have to come know. This is a Browns team who is talented enough to compete in the AFC and that is because of one man.

Johnny Football is now a Cleveland Brown and the quarterback carousel can finally stop spinning after it’s been spinning since 1999.

Mike Presley is a NFL Writer for The Penalty Flag. Mike covers NASCAR for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Mike can be contacted on Twitter @mikepresley64 or via email, mike.presley64@yahoo.com.